White Paper. Feeding Sales. Find targeted leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s.

Transcription

1 White Paper Feeding Sales Find targeted leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s.

2 Table of Contents The challenge: Find relevant, yet cost-effective sales leads... 3 An easy solution to the oldest sales problem... 3 Is Sage Business Info Services for ACT! different from a Hoover s account?... 4 Why not just use Google for sales research?... 6 Why not include addresses with the leads?... 6 Benefit from a rapid return on investment... 7 Conclusion... 8 Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 2

3 The challenge: Find relevant, yet cost-effective sales leads Your business needs a steady supply of new sales leads so it can grow and acquire more customers. Over time, it can really become a struggle to find sources of good quality leads. Lists often cost too much, focus on the wrong industry for your products, or contain outdated contact information. Soon, you re spending as much time looking for leads as you are making sales calls and that s not a productive way to sell. New leads can be obtained from a variety of sources, including word-of-mouth from your current customers, rented lists, purchased lists, or doing your own research on individual companies using internet searches and newspapers or magazines. Unfortunately, these methods can result in wildly variable lead quality, and are also time consuming and costly. What your business needs is a deep source of leads on-demand, with consistent quality, at a reasonable cost. That s what Sage has introduced with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s, a new cloud-based service that provides a rich source of new sales leads and research, accessed from within Sage ACT! An easy solution to the oldest sales problem A subscription to Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s is like having a sales research assistant who always makes sure that you have the right contacts, updated telephone numbers, and other information you need to make the most of your sales calls. Fill your sales funnel and expand your business with highly qualified leads from Sage Business Info Services for ACT!. It s like having a sales research assistant who always makes sure you have the right contacts, updated telephone numbers, and other information you need to make the most of every sales call. The information that powers Sage Business Info Services for ACT! comes from Hoover s, a division of Dun & Bradstreet, the proven leader in business information. Hoover s tracks over 68 million companies and frequently updates over 85 million contact records. While most leads purchased from list brokers contain outdated information within 90 days, Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is updated continuously to ensure the most accurate contact, industry, and financial information possible. Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is available in three different subscription packages. You can get started with basic company research for free. Or choose a paid subscription for access to more robust features. Depending on your subscription, you can: Use search filters to create targeted lists of leads based on geography, industry, financial data, employee size, or a host of other criteria including your own keywords. Effortlessly import selected leads directly into Sage ACT! Identify new markets for products and services by researching different industries. Keep up with important news about your customers or prospects by receiving alerts. Append existing contact data in your Sage ACT! 2011 database, plus add new names and contact info for other executives at the company. Conduct detailed research into prospect companies to reveal comprehensive financial information, company profile, an industry overview, and list of competitors. Research your customer s competitors and uncover new opportunities. Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 3

4 Is Sage Business Info Services for ACT! different from a Hoover s account? Yes. Instead of researching leads with your Hoover s account and then typing contacts into Sage ACT!, you can build targeted lists and directly import dozens or hundreds of leads at once with Sage Business Info Services for ACT!. The import is simple and you can complete the entire process without ever leaving Sage ACT! Additionally, Sage is able to offer special subscription pricing that makes this service an especially compelling value. You ll find Sage Business Info Services for ACT! on the Web Info tab of Sage ACT! First, you will need to sign up for a complimentary Sage Connected Services account to access this service. Your account will also enable you toaccess Sage E-marketing for ACT! 1 if you choose to, as well as other future Sage ACT! services. 1 Requires additional subscription. Figure 2 Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is available in three different subscription levels, including a free subscription with basic company information. Figure 1 Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is available in three different subscription levels, including a free subscription with basic company information. Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 4

5 It takes just a few clicks to build a new list of leads. Select the criteria you want from drop down lists. For example, you can choose companies based on location, size (annual sales, employees, or market capitilization), industry (including SIC or NAICS codes), financial information, or even keywords. Once you ve defined your search, Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s, searches through millions of companies to find those that best match your prospect model. Review the list, click on the leads you want to import into Sage ACT! 2011 and you re done! For companies that are already in your database, Sage ACT! matches those and merges any updates to contact information, ensuring your records are always up to date. To be effective, you need a source of easily accessed and constantly updated leads. Figure 3 With a few mouse clicks, create a list of highly relevant, up-to-date sales leads and add them to your database in Sage ACT! Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 5

6 Why not just use Google for sales research? Many sales professionals try to find the sales lead information they need by performing web searches. While Google is a powerful search engine, it is a poor substitute for a true sales lead solution. The reason is simple: Conducting a search of a prospect s website to collect an individual lead takes too much time and sometimes leads to inaccurate results. Many companies don t update their web pages with management contacts for weeks, or even months after they hire new executives. By contrast, the database you can access with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! contains corporate details and contact information that is second-to-none. The specially trained staff at Hoover s is dedicated to contacting companies and updating records every business day. Sales leads can t get much fresher than that! Instead of researching one lead at a time, you can build targeted lists and directly import dozens or hundreds of leads at a time into Sage ACT! Why not include addresses with the leads? In sales, first impressions matter the most. The last thing you want associated with your business is spam. Sending unwanted, unsolicited s can quickly land your business in hot water and result in costly fines. Each violation of the CAN-SPAM Act is subject to penalties of up to $16,000! Hoover s does not capture addresses and does not include them in their business information, therefore, there are no addresses in the leads you import from Sage Business Info Services for ACT!. One of the best ways to avoid being perceived as a spammer is to ask for your prospects address and permission to send them communications. This is known as permission marketing. You can ask prospects for addresses and permission to by sending them a postcard or letter, or asking them to fill out a simple form on your website. For a definition of spam, read The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business available from the Federal Trade Commission. 2 When using businesses should: 1. Avoid misleading header information including the From, To, or Reply-to lines. 2. Use subject lines that accurately reflect the content inside the message. 3. Identify the message as an advertisement. 4. Include your valid physical postal address within the Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future s from your company. 6. Take opt outs off your marketing list within 10 business days. 7. Monitor any external agencies that send s on your behalf. SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business, September 2009, accessed 2 Federal Trade Commission, The CAN- online at can-spam-act-compliance-guide-for- Businesshttp://business.ftc.gov/sites/defa ult/files/pdf/bus61-the-can-spam-act.pdf Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 6

7 Benefit from a rapid return on investment Sage Business Info Services for ACT! pays for itself (and more) in a number of ways. By speeding up your sales research, it can shave about 30% off the time you spend finding new leads.* You ll enjoy a direct savings of the cost associated with your research time, as demonstrated by the model below. Fill in numbers for your own business to more closely estimate your return on investment. The time you ll save during sales research can more than pay for the cost of a premium subscription to Sage Business Info Services for ACT!. When you add in the extra sales that come from better leads and more time to make calls, it can really pay to use the service. Table 1 Sage Business Info Services for ACT! easily saves enough time in sales research to earn a positive return on investment. *Calculated using ROI calculator from Hoover s, Inc. Direct time savings is not the only way that using Sage Business Info Services for ACT! pays off. The information you import into Sage ACT! 2011 can also help you make additional sales. With less time needed for research, you can spend more time nurturing leads. More of your sales calls and letters reach intended recipients because you have access to accurate contact information. Finally, the leads you pursue are more narrowly defined by multiple criteria, so you target the best industries and companies for your products and services. The result? More incremental sales for your business!* Table 2 With accurate contact information and additional time to nurture leads, Sage Business Info Services for ACT! helps you drive more sales. *Calculated using ROI calculator from Hoover s, Inc. Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 7

8 Conclusion Every business needs a solid process for sourcing new sales leads and turning them into profitable customers. To improve the effectiveness of your sales activities, you ll want an affordable source for accurate leads that offers a continuous supply of viable leads. Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, powered by Hoover s, is a new service that provides contact, company, and financial information for over 68 million companies. From within Sage ACT! 2011, you can define criteria to search for your ideal leads and then instantly add them to your contact database. Sage Business Info Services for ACT! is offered in three subscription levels, including a basic research subscription that is free to all Sage ACT! 2011 customers. This affordable service can help you save time and better target your sales activities for increased incremental sales and a faster return on investment. With Sage Business Info Services for ACT!, it s easier than ever to grow your sales numbers. To order Sage Business Info Services for ACT!: -Sign up in Sage ACT! Contact your Sage ACT! Certified Consultant 3 -Or call Certified Consultants are third-party vendors. Sage and its affiliates are in no way liable or responsible for claims made related to the services provided by thirdparty vendors. Feeding Sales: Find targeted sales leads with Sage Business Info Services for ACT! 8

9 ASIA 210 Middle Road #06-04 IOI Plaza Singapore AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND Level 6, 67 Albert Street Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia BELGIUM / LUXEMBOURG Rue Natalis Liège Belgium CHINA Suite 2605, Liu Lin Tower No. 1 Huaihai Zhong Road Shanghai People s Republic of China FRANCE Ciel Service Commercial ACT! 35, rue de la Gare Paris cedex 19 France GERMANY Emil-von-Behring Str Frankfurt am Main Germany INDIA 100, Second Floor Okhla Industrial Estate Phase-III New Delhi India IRELAND 3096 Lake Park Drive Citywest Business Park Dublin 24 Ireland +353 (0) MIDDLE EAST Office No. 315, Building 12 P O Box Dubai Internet City Dubai United Arab Emirates +971 (4) POLAND Sage sp. z o.o. Ul. Berna Warszawa Poland SOUTH AFRICA Softline Technology Park 102 Western Services Road Gallo Manor Ext 6 Johannesburg, 2191 South Africa SPAIN Labastida, Madrid España SWITZERLAND Sage Schweiz AG D4 Platz Root Langenbold Switzerland UNITED KINGDOM North Park Newcastle Upon Tyne NE13 9AA UNITED STATES 8800 North Gainey Center Drive Suite 200 Scottsdale, Arizona Important Note: Review Sage ACT! system requirements at You must purchase one license of Sage ACT! per user. Scalability varies based on hardware, size, and usage of your database. Compatibility: Visit or contact your add-on product provider to help determine compatibility. Sage E-marketing for ACT! is powered by Swiftpage. Import functions for Sage Business Info Services for ACT! must be performed on the web server when using Sage ACT! Premium (access via web). Important Note for ACT! 6.x or Prior Customers: Customer activation and registration are required to use Sage ACT!. Certain features may have changed or are no longer available, including inbound caller ID functionality, WinFax integration, recording and playback of macros, /modem based database synchronization, and SideACT! Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, ACT! and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Sage 8800 N. Gainey Center Dr., Suite 200 Scottsdale, AZ